The Social Protection Minister denies being “blindsided” after finding out her department will have to pay for more free TV licences for over-70s.
As part of the RTÉ funding model, the social welfare pot will be given supplementary money for the additional free licences, to counteract the predicted drop in licence sales.
However, it’s reported Minister Heather Humphreys was not aware of this until a day before the announcement – something she denies……………….
